And since we already can grow brains on a chip this style of testing might solve rodent model in inflammation is not the same as humans. At least that could be the case if we had a great stroke association directing where research should be going.
http://news.ubc.ca/2013/12/30/organs-on-a-chip-2/
Imagine
if medical research and clinical drug tests could be done on
artificially grown organs on microchips to save time, costs, and ease
ethical concerns?
That’s the dream of James Feng, a professor in biological and chemical engineering at UBC.
“The potential is tremendous,” says Feng. “The main impact of organs
grown this way will be on the design of drugs; the understanding of the
pathological processes.”
Dr. Feng’s group carries out research in three broad areas: mechanics
of biological cells and tissues, interfacial fluid dynamics,
and mechanics and rheology of complex fluids.
The group has an inter-disciplinary flavour–crosscutting applied
mathematics, cell biology, soft-matter physics and chemical and
biomedical engineering—that is well-suited for exploring this burgeoning
technology.
Implications for the pharmaceutical industry
Feng cites a Harvard study
using a small silicon device that holds a thin layer of real cell
membranes capable of producing motion similar to the heaving and
breathing of a lung.
Organ models designed this way have the potential to be more accurate
in drug and treatment trials, says Feng, as they can better mimic the
functions of human organs, as opposed to animal models which are the
current research standard.
“It’s more controlled and you can simplify the process much faster,” said Feng.
“Harvard researchers also injected drugs into their chip model to see
how it changed its behaviour and to see the tissue’s reaction to
mechanical or chemical disturbance,” he added.
“It’s very important for drug design and discovery and the pharmaceutical industry would be tremendously interested in that.”
In addition, organs on a chip present a less controversial option for
organ model testing compared to stem cell research. According to Feng,
this is because their ultimate goals are very different from each other.
“The research that tried to grow organs directly from stem cells is
aiming for eventually implantable organs,” he said. “The idea of making
the chip is to work toward replacing animal models, so as to be more
accurate and realistic like human organs. While the ability to replicate
a complex human organ function remains far off, the direction appeals
to anyone who is hoping to reduce the use of animals in research.”
Simulating organ functions on a chip
Feng says this kind of organ testing offers the possibility of greatly reducing cost and time required for clinical trials.
“By using computer simulations we can generate results and insights,
and run virtual tests much more easily and quickly,” he says.
“We can test maybe hundreds or thousands of designs of organ chips to
be able to tell you whether you should try those ten designs instead of
the hundreds one by one.”
Feng, who has a background in aerospace engineering, says this new
bio-technology has the potential to transform the development of
artificial organs and drugs the way computer simulations have replaced
the use of wind tunnels for designing aircrafts.
“That used to be the dominant mode of designing crafts,” he said,
“but that’s being replaced by online computer simulations because we
understand the principles of aerodynamics so well.”
While UBC’s efforts in the field are in the early stages, Feng is
reaching out to researchers from other backgrounds. He will be inviting
leading scientists to UBC in July 2014 for a workshop that will centre
on the growth of artificial organs and computer simulations. He is also
exploring ideas of his own.
“I have a collaboration with an engineering colleague on how to use
the microfluidic chip, the technology used to emulate the lung in the
Harvard study, as a way of measuring malaria-infected red cells,” he
said, suggesting that this is just one of the countless ways this new
technology could be used to fuel future innovation.
No comments:
Post a Comment